The Election Commission (EC) has rejected the National Citizen Party’s (NCP) request for allocation of “Shapla” (water lily) as its electoral symbol. However, the EC has asked the new party to select an alternative symbol from the list of 50 approved symbols by 7 October.
The NCP received the directive in an official letter signed by EC Deputy Secretary Md Rafiqul Islam. “The NCP registration application has initially been deemed acceptable, but its request for the “Shapla” symbol is not accepted,” it read.
The EC clearly said “Shapla” is not included in the official list of electoral symbols made as per the Election Conduct Rules, 2008 (Rule 9(1)). “Therefore, we cannot allocate “Shapla” to the NCP as its electoral symbol,” the EC secretary said.
Earlier, the NCP, now under review for the EC registration as a political party, had submitted three preferred symbols in order of choice: Shapla, pen, and mobile phone.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that the NCP fulfilled all primary conditions for its registration as a political party but faced a problem with the selection of its electoral symbol.
“Since the symbol isn’t listed in the official schedule, we are asking them (NCP) to select a new one. Once that’s done, the registration process will proceed accordingly,” he said.
Despite this directive, the NCP has been adamant about retaining the “Shapla” symbol to contest the upcoming general election.
Arifur Rahman Tuhin, joint chief coordinator (media) of the party, told reporters, “We want Shapla symbol and won’t select anything else. We believe the EC is acting arbitrarily. This is a BNP-influenced EC that denied giving us our rightful symbol.”
The list of the EC-approved electoral symbols includes duck, bed, gourd, shrimp, ostrich, cup-saucer, pen, plate, pitcher, computer, banana, kite, torchlight, glasses, jug, ship, tube well, tiffin-carrier, table, table clock, telephone, tabla, watermelon, plate, building, swing, butterfly, football, flower pot, refrigerator, heron, flute, bench, eggplant, bucket, balloon, electric fan, mug, microphone, peacock, mobile phone, stool, rooster, lychee, conch shell, sewing machine, sofa, suitcase, deer, and helicopter.
